Bottles and jars – Closures – Closure pivoted about receptacle opening
Reexamination Certificate
2002-04-25
2004-12-28
Ngo, Lien (Department: 3727)
Bottles and jars
Closures
Closure pivoted about receptacle opening
C220S266000, C222S153010
Reexamination Certificate
active
06834769
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a hinge cap that is used in a container such as a bottle for cosmetics.
BACKGROUND ART
As a cap that is used in a container such as a bottle for cosmetics, a hinge cap having a cap main body and a cap cover that can cover the top portion of the cap main body and is connected to the cap main body via an opening/closing hinge is now well known as exemplified by the fact that it is regarded as a prior art technique in Japanese Examined Utility Model Publication No. HEI 6-15844, for example.
Having the opening/closing hinge serving as a spring, this hinge cap is convenient in that when the cap cover is opened from a closed state by a prescribed degree the resilient force of the opening/closing hinge causes remaining opening action automatically, and that when the cap cover is closed from an open state by a prescribed degree the resilient force of the opening/closing hinge causes remaining closing action automatically. However, the amount of manipulation to be performed at the time of opening or closing is indefinite. There is inconvenience that an opening or closing attempt results in failure if a manipulation amount is insufficient.
To shut off water during closure, the engagement between the cap main body and the cap cover needs to be strong to some extent. This results in a problem that strong manipulation force is necessary at the time of opening to disengage the cap cover from the cap main body, requiring both hands eventually.
Hinge caps capable of solving the above problems are proposed in the above Japanese Examined Utility Model Publication No. HEI 6-15844, Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. HEI 7-9747/1995, etc.
In the hinge caps described in these publications, a slidable plate is provided on the top surface of the cap main body, and a tip portion of the plate is provided with a push button portion that projects outward from the closing interface between the cap main body and the cap cover.
Therefore, if the plate is slid into the hinge cap in a state that the cap cover is closed, the cap cover is pushed and opened (i.e., disengaged from the cap main body) through wedge action, and then the rear end portion of the plate pushes the opening/closing hinge from inside. In this manner, the cap cover can be opened by one hand.
In the conventional hinge caps, the plate is provided on the top surface of the cap main body. Therefore, when the cap cover is opened, the plate itself, detailed structures for supporting it when it slides, and other members are completely exposed to view, resulting in a bad appearance.
There is another problem that the contents of the container, for example, leak into the slide portion (movable portion) between the plate and the cap main body and accumulate on the plate. As a result the movement of the plate becomes worse gradually or the plate becomes prone to come off.
As an idea for solving the above problems, to provide cover as a separate member above the plate was suggested. However, this idea was not appropriate because it undesirably increases the number of parts, complicates the structure, and makes the assembling cumbersome, which lead to cost increase.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the invention is therefore to provide a hinge cap which has a preferable appearance irrespective of opening and closing of a cap cover, facilitate a one-hand opening manipulation, and prevent cost increase.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
To attain the above object, the present invention has taken the following measures.
That is, a hinge cap according to the invention has a cap main body, a cap cover that can cover a top portion of the cap main body and is connected to the cap main body via an opening/closing hinge, and a manipulation body that is incorporated in the cap main body so as to be used for a manipulation of opening the cap cover.
The opening/closing hinge may be integrated with the cap main body, integrated with the cap cover, or integrated with both of the cap main body and the cap cover so as to connect them.
The cap main body has a top plate capable of covering a main part of the manipulation body even in a state that the cap cover is opened, an outer circumferential wall provided along an outer circumference of the top plate, and an inner circumferential wall that is provided so as to form a circumferential space inside the outer circumferential wall and surround a contents flow path.
On the other hand, the manipulation body has a push button portion that is accommodated in the circumferential space under the top plate of the cap main body and is exposed to outside penetrating through the outer circumferential wall of the cap main body, and a pushing end for causing the cap cover to open when the push button portion is pushed.
With this configuration, most of the manipulation body (i.e., the portions excluding the push button portion) is made unseen and hence the appearance is improved.
Further, since the contents hardly leak into the movable portion between the manipulation body and the cap main body, the movement of the manipulation body is prevented from being deteriorated.
Alternatively, the manipulation body may have a pushing end that faces the opening/closing hinge squarely from inside, a push button portion that is positioned away from the opening/closing hinge and is exposed to outside of the cap main body, and a transmission rod that connects the pushing end and the push button portion in such a manner as to cause the pushing end to push the opening/closing hinge from inside when the push button portion is pushed.
The shape of the transmission rod is not restricted to specific ones. For example, the transmission rod may assume a ring shape that surrounds, and thereby clears the contents flow path provided in the cap main body or a curved rod shape that is obtained by omitting one of the two circular arc portions of the ring shape.
Such a transmission rod is made of a resilient material that enables storage of a force for pushing the opening/closing hinge during a manipulation stroke from a position where the pushing end abuts the opening/closing hinge to a position where the push button portion is pushed thereafter by a prescribed length.
With this configuration, the opening/closing hinge can be pushed all at once when the opening force has increased to a certain level, whereby the cap cover can be opened reliably. That is, an attempt to open the cap cover never fails and the operationality is increased.
Where the transmission rod is provided, pushing force that is exerted on the opening/closing hinge by the pushing end is distributed in a period from a start of pushing on the push button portion to disengagement of the cap cover form the cap main body and opening of the cap cover. As a result, no excess load acts on the opening/closing hinge, which leads to an advantage that the opening/closing hinge is prevented from being damaged.
It is preferable that the manipulation body be provided with an acting portion that abuts a proper portion of the cap cover before, at the same time as, or after the pushing end pushes the opening/closing hinge so as to transmit upward opening force to the cap cover in accordance with an increase in a pushing manipulation amount.
With this structure, an attempt to open the cap cover never fails and the manipulation of the cap is facilitated even in the case where the water shutoff effect in a state that the cap cover is closed is enhanced (i.e., in a case where strong engagement friction occurs against the cap main body).
According to a technical measure of the invention to solve the above technical problems, there is provided a hinge cap including a cap main body
2
, a cap cover
3
that can cover a top portion of the cap main body
2
and is connected to the cap main body
2
via an opening/closing hinge
4
, and a manipulation body
5
that is incorporated in the cap main body
2
and is used for a manipulation of opening the cap cover
3
, wherein
the cap main body
2
has a top plate
Oka Atsushi
Takahashi Masami
Yamanaka Yasuhiro
M.F.V Co., Ltd.
Ngo Lien
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
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